Enrollment

Two months later.

Early September, Heding City Junior Soul Master Academy.

Zhang Yang was dressed in silk shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, clutching a thin silk summer quilt as he looked around.

He was comparing this room to the map in his memory, attempting to identify which interactive containers had counterparts in the real world.

Not far away, Zhang Lingyue and Zhu Ranqing were chatting with an elderly man of about sixty, while those around them were busy registering Zhang Yang for school.

"Vice Hall Master Zhang, rest assured, our Heding City Junior Soul Master Academy guarantees that we will provide the strongest faculty to instruct your son," the old man promised Zhang Lingyue and Zhu Ranqing with a smile.

"Then we leave him in your care, Dean Beckett," Zhu Ranqing smiled back.

"Dean Beckett, you are an expert who has been deeply involved in soul master education for decades; you surely understand that jade must be carved to become a useful object."

"Zhang Yang is only six years old, an age where he is lively and active. His talent is average, and he might easily give up if he sees no progress in his cultivation."

"Therefore, I ask that the teachers at your esteemed academy put in extra effort and keep a tight grip on Zhang Yang's training. My husband and I thank you in advance."

"Vice Hall Master Zhang, you are too polite."

Once the registration was complete, Dean Beckett of Heding City Junior Soul Master Academy led the three members of the Zhang family out of the Administration Building to continue with the remaining paperwork.

As soon as the door closed, the school staff in the room exchanged glances and couldn't help but snicker.

None of them had expected that the son of the dignified Vice Hall Master of the Heding City Martial Soul Sub-Hall, Lord Zhang Lingyue, would have an Innate Soul Power of only rank 1.

A Vice Hall Master of the Martial Soul Sub-Hall—he had to be at least a Soul King level powerhouse.

His son, only rank 1?

Isn't that ridiculous?

It truly is a case of a tiger father begetting a dog of a son.

Of course, while these people could laugh, such words could never be spoken aloud.

If word were to leak out, they wouldn't even need the man himself to take action; those seeking to curry favor with him would make their lives worse than death.

At noon, accompanied by Dean Beckett, Zhang Lingyue and Zhu Ranqing ate a student meal with Zhang Yang before bidding him a reluctant farewell.

From this moment on, Zhang Yang officially began his life as a boarder.

Returning to the dormitory, Zhang Yang sat on his bed and scanned the room, feeling a wave of emotion.

Even after being in this world for six years, certain differences between the two worlds still left Zhang Yang stunned.

Take this 50-person dormitory, for instance.

Zhang Yang was puzzled; given the status of soul masters on the Douluo Continent, how could a student dormitory house 50 people?

Even if it wasn't a single room, it should at least be a double.

During lunch, Zhang Yang had asked this very question.

Regarding Zhang Yang's confusion, Zhang Lingyue told him a story.

"A thousand years ago, the first Pope of the Martial Soul Hall rose from the grassroots. Relying on his personal charisma, he recruited a large number of soul masters to join his ranks and fight for his ideals."

"Among them, the first thousand recruited—those who fought most bravely and were most loyal to the first Pope—were reorganized into the original Lion War Regiment."

"In the regiment, 50 people formed a sub-regiment, and each sub-regiment shared a dormitory. Soul masters in the same sub-regiment ate and lived together, inseparable brothers and comrades-in-arms."

"Later, when the Martial Soul Hall established its transcendent status on the Douluo Continent, the Pope ordered the founding of the Martial Soul Hall Academy to cultivate their own soul master teams from a young age."

"Among the seven committee members of the first Martial Soul Hall Academy, four came from the Lion Soul Master War Regiment, so they continued the tradition of the Lion War Regiment, establishing that 50 students would share a dormitory."

"Ever since then, dormitories in all Junior Soul Master Academy institutions across the continent have become 50-person rooms."

Hearing the story told by Zhang Lingyue, Zhang Yang suddenly understood.

It was just like the keyboard layout of modern computers following the layout of typewriters; path dependency had already formed.

After sitting on the bed for a while to let his food settle, Zhang Yang sat cross-legged at the head of his bed.

Today was his first day at Heding City Academy, so he had to run a couple of blades to celebrate.

In the dormitory, Zhang Yang sat cross-legged in a meditative pose, while the room remained bustling with activity.

The new students had returned to the dorm after eating their fill. Although most of the parents had already left, a few remained.

In the room, these parents were giving their precious sons final instructions.

Listen to the academy teachers, work hard on cultivation, build good relationships with classmates, blah blah blah...

One parent even pointed at Zhang Yang over there and whispered to his son: "See that classmate? Play with him more in the future, understand?"

When Zhang Yang's family first arrived at the dormitory, he had been present.

Led by the dorm manager and accompanied by the Dean.

What kind of high-ranking official or powerful soul master must he be?

With such a golden thigh right beside them, if his son could latch onto it, what a stroke of fortune that would be!

Within the hotel street on the east side of the academy, on the roof of a luxuriously decorated hotel, green evacuation smoke rose as Zhang Yang lay quietly on the rooftop.

Ten seconds later, the extraction animation popped up. Zhang Yang boarded the helicopter and successfully extracted.

"Extraction successful."

"Extraction point: Heding City Academy-Normal"

"Duration: 00:22:18"

"Earnings this round: 785641"

"Total kills: 7"

Finally having extracted successfully, a satisfied smile appeared on Zhang Yang's face.

A new page popped up.

4>>>5-->5>>>6

92EXP↑

12957/13000-->49/14000

A satisfied smile appeared on Zhang Yang's face; he had leveled up again.

By grinding for six hours every day and bringing out an average of 700k to 800k per round, after two months of such hard work, Zhang Yang had finally reached level 5.

Zhang Yang could certainly spend more time grinding each day, but he was unwilling to do so.

He was only six years old now, and sufficient sleep was extremely important.

As a reincarnator, he certainly didn't want a lack of sleep to result in him being shorter than Zhao Wuji when he reached adulthood.

Furthermore, following his parents' arrangements and exercising daily was also very necessary.

Doing so could make his parents feel gratified.

Zhang Yang felt that his parents being happy was more valuable than leveling up half a month earlier.

As for that mission to earn 500 million Haf Coin, Zhang Yang had naturally completed it long ago.

In fact, it was only when Zhang Yang truly started working on the mission that he realized the figure of 500 million was not insurmountable.

After all, the vast majority of soul masters were melee-oriented, while Zhang Yang's M14 had long range, high damage, and a fast fire rate.

Comparing the two, it was practically like bringing a gun to a knife fight; he could walk wherever he pleased.

When enemies were no longer obstacles, what else was there to say? You could just take whatever you wanted from the entire map.

Therefore, by the time he was around level 4, Zhang Yang had already completed the 500 million earnings goal and unlocked the subsequent Season Mission.

"[Action Plan 2: Breaking Obstacles]"

"Mission Briefing: According to intelligence, various factions are sending personnel to the action zones. Find them and eliminate them."

"※ Accumulatively kill 999 enemy soul masters in any action. (0/999)"

"Mission Reward: Current Level 3*3 Secure Container Trial Card *1"

Naturally, with the M14 in hand, this second mission was a piece of cake for Zhang Yang.

As for the following Season Missions, they were no longer sequential; instead, three parallel missions were unlocked simultaneously, which Zhang Yang could accept and complete all at once.

"[Action Plan 3: Letter of Allegiance 1]"

"Mission Briefing: Investigations show that the Upper Three Sects have long harbored rebellious hearts against the Martial Soul Hall. You can take this opportunity to submit a Letter of Allegiance to the Martial Soul Hall."

"This time, your target is the Clear Sky Sect."

"※ Accumulatively kill 81 soul masters whose martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer in any action. (0/81)"

"Mission Reward: Current Level 3*3 Secure Container Trial Card *1"

"[Action Plan 4: Letter of Allegiance 2]"

"Mission Briefing: Investigations show that the Upper Three Sects have long harbored rebellious hearts against the Martial Soul Hall. You can take this opportunity to submit a Letter of Allegiance to the Martial Soul Hall."

"This time, your target is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"※ Accumulatively kill 81 soul masters whose martial soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in any action. (0/81)"

"Mission Reward: Current Level 3*3 Secure Container Trial Card *1"

"[Action Plan 5: Letter of Allegiance 3]"

"Mission Briefing: Investigations show that the Upper Three Sects have long harbored rebellious hearts against the Martial Soul Hall. You can take this opportunity to submit a Letter of Allegiance to the Martial Soul Hall."

"This time, your target is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect."

"※ Accumulatively kill 81 soul masters whose martial soul is the Overlord Dragon in any action. (0/81)"

"Mission Reward: Current Level 3*3 Secure Container Trial Card *1"

Zhang Yang frowned subconsciously when he saw these missions.

Because in all the rounds he had played so far, Zhang Yang had not yet encountered any soul masters from the Upper Three Sects.

He hadn't even met them, let alone killed them.

However, he figured the system wouldn't assign him impossible missions, so Zhang Yang wasn't particularly worried.

Compared to this, Zhang Yang had a more important matter to attend to regarding this extraction raid.

Department - Military Supplies Department - R&D Department; as the interface popped up, Zhang Yang selected one of the options.

Detailed information appeared on the right side of the interface.

"Red, Heding City Academy Map"

"Intel Data"

"A complete map of the Heding City Junior Soul Master Academy, redrawn by combining four map fragments. Redeeming this item unlocks the 'Heding City Academy' Confidential Mode."

"Redemption Items:"

"Gold, Heding City Academy Map-1 (1/1)", "Gold, Heding City Academy Map-2 (1/1)", "Gold, Heding City Academy Map-3 (1/1)", "Red, Heding City Academy Map-4 (1/1)"

"Redeem"

Without a second thought, Zhang Yang immediately chose to redeem.

The next moment, the system interface popped up.

"Redemption successful."

"Collection Room - Atlas unlocked."

"Map 'Heding City Academy' Confidential Mode unlocked."

Now, Zhang Yang was finally satisfied.

Zhang Yang had looted the "Heding City Academy Map-1" collectible during his very first raid, and the subsequent 2 and 3 had not taken much effort either.

Only this "Heding City Academy Map-4" had eluded him until today, when he finally scavenged it in the Dean's Office of the Administration Building.

Fortunately, hard work pays off; with "Map-4" in hand, the Confidential Mode was finally unlocked.

Zhang Yang immediately selected the Confidential Mode for "Heding City Academy" in the map selection interface, and the background audio began to play instantly.

"The academy has opened for the term, and the surrounding commercial district has recovered. You will face more powerful enemies and a more complex battlefield environment."

Zhang Yang suddenly realized, so that was the "confidential" part.

I see, Zhang Yang thought to himself.

He looked at the conditions listed below.

"Operation Difficulty: Hard"

"Entry Value: 112,500"

"Level Recommendation: Level 5~Level 11"

"Time Limit: 25 minutes (Out-raid), 25 minutes (In-raid)"

"Matchmaking Mode: Solo/Squad (Not yet available)"

Seeing the "Level Recommendation" section, Zhang Yang studied it carefully: "The level recommendation is 5-11, so the enemy levels have increased. But what about the drop rates?"

However, Zhang Yang thought again: "Thinking until my head breaks will only leave me with guesses. I'll know everything once I enter the Confidential raid."

Action followed thought; Zhang Yang immediately went to the loadout interface and assembled a kit worth exactly 112,500.

Helmet: White, Boonie Hat (Damaged), Value 1,593.

Armor: Green, TG Tactical Bulletproof Vest (Like New), Value 9,298.

Chest Rig: Purple, Assault Tactical Vest, Value 24,940.

Backpack: Blue, GA Field Backpack, Value 25,500.

Secure Container: Gold, Pair of Silver, Value 52,113.

Total loadout value: 113,444, exceeding the limit by 944.

Zhang Yang was not quite satisfied with this number, so he rummaged through his inventory again and swapped the armor for a "Green, HT Tactical Vest (New), Value 9,121," saving another 177.

Only then did Zhang Yang nod in satisfaction.

It is worth mentioning that different types of secure containers have different loadout values.

This "Pair of Silver" secure container, which drops upon death, is calculated into the loadout value.

However, the temporary secure containers obtained from the 3x3 task rewards—the "Current Level 3x3 Secure Container Trial Card"—do not have any loadout value.

With the gear set, Zhang Yang grabbed two health potions, two mana potions, one bandage, and one bottle of painkillers.

Considering that intense combat might occur in Confidential Mode, Zhang Yang also brought a blue armor repair kit.

Although green-tier armor has the effect of "providing good defense against soul power impact from white soul power," it is still subject to durability loss.

Alright, the consumables were all set.

"Deploy!"

"Entering raid..."

GTI Commander: "The Confidential Academy is fraught with danger. Please be careful."

Five minutes later.

"Extraction Failed."

Zhang Yang opened his eyes and slammed a fist into his thigh. "Damn it, a damn 4-ring boss."

A boss in a level 5-11 map was actually level 43?

When the boss activated its martial soul, the two yellow and two purple soul rings left Zhang Yang completely stunned.

Even though Zhang Yang had the initiative and fought with his life on the line, he was ultimately taken out by the boss at the cost of only minor injuries.

At level 5, he was simply too weak to face a 4-ring Soul Ancestor.

Why would they design a boss that was impossible to defeat and put it in this map?

Damn system, are you sure this isn't just broken matchmaking?

GTI Commander: I told you the Secret Academy was fraught with danger, are you Duolong?

After cursing and venting the anger in his heart, Zhang Yang's emotions calmed down significantly.

Although the extraction had failed and he had lost all his gear in the match, along with his 9-slot insurance, Zhang Yang still had something to show for it.

"Red, Luxury Mechanical Watch"

"Value: 212469"

"Crafted Collectible"

"0.16KG, 1*1 slot"

"A luxury mechanical watch with a diamond-encrusted dial. The solid 18k gold body highlights the owner's extraordinary taste and elegant temperament, allowing one to make a striking impression at social events."

"Red Collectible Special Effect: Disrupts time-flow synchronization; extends the duration of in-game activities when in urban maps."

This was the good stuff Zhang Yang had swiped from the bathroom sink while he was cornered by the boss.

Not only could it extend the time in a match, but it was also a required item for the Collector quest.

[Collector] progress +1.